摘要 |
The invention relates to a material portioning apparatus and a method which provides portions of material of predetermined weight by measuring and portioning an appropriate volume of the material. Although the apparatus is especially useful when the material consists of whole pieces larger than the portioned sizes, such as fillets of fish or meat, it can also be used for portioning granular materials, or materials of sizes smaller than the portioned sizes. It is only necessary that the material, or bulks of the material, be of such a nature that, when it is compressed in one direction, it will expand or be forced to move in a different direction. In accordance with the invention, the apparatus comprises a preforming stage having an adjustable volume, and a weighing stage also having an adjustable volume. Material is fed, through the preforming stage, into the weighing stage and the weighing stage is overfilled to include a volume greater than the desired weight. The volume of the weighing stage is then adjusted to the desired volume, and any excess material will be forced back into the preforming stage. A separating means is then inserted between the weighing stage and the preforming stage to separate the materials in the two stages, and the amount remaining in the weighing stage is the amount, required by weight, of material.
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